Of the many devices designed to measure yarn tension, one of the simplest, most rugged and potentially easiest to use is the hand-held, rotating-head tensiometer of Campbell U.S. Pat. No. 2,538,932. The Campbell tensiometer, however, has failed to gain widespread acceptance, largely due to the likelihood of yarn breaks and other damage resulting from a snapping action which can occur if the device is inadvertently overturned. While it has long been known that damping the rotating head could slow this snapping action sufficiently to allow for operator correction of it, as well as dampen reading oscillations caused by lateral yarn vibrations, no satisfactory damping mechanism has been designed for the device, and, as a result, it remains generally unaccepted by the trade. Many and various damping concepts have been tried, including fluid and magnetic damping; all have suffered, however, from one or more disadvantages, including insubstantial damping, high cost, delicacy, and short operating life.